Battling Avalanches

Observe, Avoid, Defend and Attack

Professional avalanche safety programmes to protect the public require battlefield-like tactics based on precise observations and meticulous research. Locating the danger, understanding the hazard, and assessing the risks are critical strategies. While history has shown that avoidance is the safest strategy, there are times and places for defence and attack.

Avoid

Avoiding harm's way

Armed with knowledge of when and where avalanches are likely to strike, avoiding slidepaths during their dangerous season is often the best safety strategy. This is true for all activities in avalanche country from community planning to backcountry recreation. If paths must be crossed, then minimizing exposure time is often the next best option.

Defend

Defending against hurricane-force wind and snow

Snowsheds have been part of the yearly battles with avalanches in Canada since the winter of 1886-87. To be effective, the sheds need to be well-placed and built to withstand sudden hurricane-force winds mixed with snow. They also need the strength to support the weight of settled avalanche debris. Avalanche activity after construction often showed that the sheds needed to be revised—most often lengthened.

History of Snowsheds

Molly Gibson Mine Avalanche

Pioneer mining used snowsheds to protect buildings and the tramways that were used to carry ore.